Salvagers in the Storm, Part 1

The Party: Arcturius-9, Corwen, Farrow, Khonshu

The party was gathered in a signal room near the back half of Lanternwurm. Adepts constantly tinkered trying to figure out messaging systems for communications and navigation. A line connected to the overseer’s cabin, but they thought there was potential for amplifying and receiving sendings. A warforged known as Agent worked the signal room, conveying the mission to Farrow, Arcturius-9, Corwen, and Khonshu, who were summoned for their talents and histories with Agent.

Before the catastrophe, there was an outpost fortress in the sand covered badlands to the south. Eventually, it was abandoned and buried by the shifting storms. The weather on this particular point became strange; a giant blank storm would erupt every seven years as if on a schedule. The sands would shift, revealing the top of an outpost for several hours in the eye of the storm before reburying it. The phenomenon became a bit of an attraction for thrill seeking explorers, who called it the Black Dragon Cyclone.

After the catastrophe, the storm became infused with planar leakage, becoming more dangerous. Agent told the group they had reports some had been using the fortress as a sort of cache. An old adventurer who had since passed away on Lanternwurm left information that there was a piece of planar technology that could be useful, an elemental battery that could generate energy and trace leylines to lead to energy fonts.

With the next Black Dragon Cyclone to appear in two days, the group was given their assignment. There was a single shelter near the location known as the Black Inn they would be deployed at while Lanternwurm circled to water at an oasis and would pick them up after the storm.

The party prepared in their own ways. Khonshu looked over his tools and tried to strategize on the coming events. Farrow excitedly told her dwarven father about the coming adventure as she gathered her gadgets. Einkhorn told her to concentrate and stay safe, and be wary of the rougher travelling companions. Arcturius-9 found himself at one of the dive bars within Lanternwurm, itching for some action. It didn’t take long for the cyborg to spot some bullies and their ring leader pushing a man around. Arcturius-9 floored the ring leader with a punch and the ruffians retreated. The bartender brought him a drink while the other man fawned over the enforcer, who threw him a cloth souvenir. Also in the same bar near the back, Corwen spoke to one of his contacts, insulting the halfling with poor thieves’ cant and gaining no information on the location ahead.

The next day, the party disembarked in the badlands. The storm loomed on the horizon. At the Black Inn, a one-armed innkeeper named Leehan greeted them. Within there were a group of rowdy hobgoblins led by a smaller female warrior and a solitary man in black desert robes. The party took a table and rested with their gear.

Arcturius-9 was drawn to the bar to pet the inn cat who took a liking to him. Corwen chatted with the robed man, neither one wanting to give up much information on why they were here. Seeing this, Arcturius-9 walked to stand intimidatingly behind the man. Impressed, he offered more details as he was invited to their table.

In the early morning, the hobgoblins left the inn. Arcturius-9 woke his companions and they all rushed to get out into the gathering storm.

The party endured all sorts of weird weather, from falling fish to laughing pixie bubbles. A time warping reverse rain that displaced and almost separated Arcturius-9 with Farrow on his back before Farrow’s drone camera locked on to a glowing device Khonshu raised. Finally, a blasting wall of sand that sucked up the hobgoblins threatened them before they broke free into the eye. There was calm space surrounded by towering walls of sandstorm. Levander led them forward. Arcturius-9 started seeing mirages in the area, but was pulled back with the group.

Scanning the area, they walked to a flat platform uncovered in the sand that had stairs descending to a featureless steel door. Examining as a group, no obvious way to open it presented itself. Levander mentioned he could use a spell to knock it open but was worried the noise would reveal their position to anything around. Arcturius-9 found he could muscle up the door by a foot, enough for Farrow’s drone to start exploring inside. Corwen and Khonshu used their expertise and tools to get into the door’s inner mechanics through the side grooves. Eventually they could open the door fully, and the group cautiously followed the drone into the dimly lit fortress.